Final Project-Google Docs

After hearing how Sara used Google docs when she was an SE teacher, I thought how much a small, easy to use technology could do wonders to keep everyone informed in a school, especially between staff. I remember Sara saying that she liked to have GE teachers fill out surveys each day, to explain their students behaviors, learning, and overall thoughts about their day. One thing that I notice in my placements that I have been in, is that there is a lack of collaboration and connection. This technology can be a great tool for both keeping the SE teachers informed about how the student is working in a GE classroom, and also a way to keep daily notes and tracking system where you could show parents, faculty, and use as information for IEP meetings. I plan to use this tool extensively in my teachings because it is crucial that the SE and GE teachers work together. I also plan on using this to keep track of my own observations.
In class, we also talked about how we as teachers could use Google docs for students projects and group work. Here is a video on how a teacher can use it.



It is also a great way for students to stay on task and organized. The teacher can track how often a piece of work is edited, so participation is tracked. As long as students have access to the Internet, they are able to do everything they will need. I think of Google docs as an online library and book bag for the students. Everything they do in class can be on their individual space. They can work on papers, projects, presentations, note taking, etc. and it saves endless amounts of work. It also keeps it organized so the student doesn't have to mess with textbooks, missing worksheets, leaving homework at home, and countless other reasons why students struggle with organization. While researching Google docs, I was trying to find blog posts discussing how current teachers use it, here is one and here is another, and I thought I'd add in the very important Google docs blog. One of the many tools that I found was at this blog which details 100 tips about Google docs. I have used this list a few times already. The NWP site, which Sara has been apart of, was another useful tool. Another resource that I have used a few times because basically it explains everything that Google can do is here, if you need anything for your classroom, this site pretty much says Google can offer it!
I have put a few links on this blog post, but I also wanted to share a few ways in which students and teachers can use Google Docs to make learning easier and more efficient:
• Teachers have the opportunity to check student progress and make sure students are following the guidelines. They can provide feedback in the document. Teachers can offer advice which may lead to higher grades.
• Teachers can use the revisions history to find out who has actually helped on the project and evaluate individual participation and content.
• Teachers can discover who is not participating and have the opportunity to correct the situation.
• Teachers can use Google Docs to inform students about upcoming assignments.
• Google Docs is popular for teams that are developing an essay or a presentation.
• A team of students can create a spreadsheet which includes assignment details and deadlines. All the team members update the spreadsheet which allows students to see who is getting their work done on time and who is falling behind.
• The revision history feature allows students and teachers to see a history of the revision process of a particular document. Sometimes previous ideas and information that were removed actually deserve to be in the document. With Google Docs, this deleted content can be restored.
• Students from all over the nation can work on the same project in real-time and get involved in brainstorming sessions.


I found from this class that Google docs can do wonders for communication and learning, by making us use it for a project in our own class. I was forced to see the details, which I am grateful for because I think this tool can eliminate stress, work, and by doing this allows us to be focused more on teaching-which is what is all about! I still cant believe there is a tool that is free of charge that allows students/teachers to work with other students/teachers all around the world.

Random things about Google can be found here.

Many people probably already knew this, but one of the creators of Google is from East Lansing, MI. Read more here if you'd like.

Recap of CEP452

I wanted to use one of my posts to explain how I felt CEP 452 helped me in preparation to be a effective teacher. Whether we like it or not, technology is going to be apart of our careers, so we need to embrace it. I wrote about how technology is cruising along in a previous post, so feel free to take a look at it. There are some things that this course has taught me that I have not gotten from many others in the TE program, that being freedom to express yourself, and the idea that there isn't a right or wrong answer. Sara and Ira, came into this class explaining to us that this is a free range, less structured, and most responsibility was on the student to learn from it. This couldn't have been a better approach. Sure, the teachers could have used each lecture to go over each individual technology at extreme depth and detail, but honestly who enjoys that. What they wanted was to introduce us to them, give a short synopsis on what they do, and say "we leave it up to you to do the rest." I think by giving us the freedom to explore them by ourselves allowed us to figure out how these technologies could fit our lives and careers. The foundation of this course, is to show us "one size, doesn't fit all", so by saying "hey, here are a ton of technologies, you picked the ones that can help you the most- and fits the best". I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, and I found the technologies that fit me, and plan to use those in my career.

Video from CEP class

After class the other day, I got to thinking about the video called Children Full of Life, that we watched in class. I started thinking of a time when I was a young student, about the same age as that young student and how different my outcome was than his. I remember being yelled at in front of class for talking. The teacher had me come to the front of the class, apologize to the class and then ridiculed in front of everyone as the teacher went on for about five minutes on how not to behave, using me as the model. What the teacher didn't realize was that my glasses had broke and sitting in the back of the class I couldn't see the math problems on the board. I asked the kid next to me if I could see his paper, so I could copy down the problems. I'm not sure whether the teacher was already ticked off about something that morning, but it seems like I was that one thing that set her off. I hardly had a chance to explain myself, because she just raised her voice over mine, yelling for me to get up to the front. Not only was this humiliating but in the end I felt like the most horrible person alive. Is that really the environment that school should feel like? I feel that this video shows the way discipline should be done in the classroom, regardless of age. When students feel that their voice can be heard in class, and also in a way to defend their friends, it will create a bond and positive learning environment, rather than a scared and frightening one. If my friend had a chance to speak, and defend me, by explaining what I was trying to do, I wouldn't have been humiliated and put in one of the toughest moments that I can remember from school. My one question is, should any child have have one of their worst experiences in school be in elementary school? I say no.